473 



CORSO CORTEZ. 



adopted; and n parlinmrnt, sucli ns Ireland had, 

 was established. Hut a large jiart of tin- people 

 were averse to tlie HritMi. \vlioni they regarded us 

 hen-ties, ami the French jiarly i'gain appeared 'ii 

 tlie island, in Oct.. 17!U>. uiuli r general (ientili. 

 Sickness n-ndeml the situation of the Hrili-h very 

 critical: their power \vas still further weakened l>y 

 the reduction ot the neighbouring city of Leghorn. 

 by the French, in I7s)6; and, in consequence, they 

 evacuated Cor-ica. Since I SI I, the island lias 

 formed a French department, of which Itastia is the 

 capital. The revenue received from the island by 

 France, in KSvM . amounted only to 500,000 times. 

 while the administration of it costs the crown, yearly, 

 the sum of 3,(X:o,(XX) francs. (See Memoirs of Xapo- 

 leon, Fourth Part (London, 1824), by count Mon- 

 tliulon ; Sketches of Corsica m 1823, wrtA Specimens 

 tf its National J'uetry, by Robert Benson (London, 

 i^-.-'.i, with iifly-one copperplate engravings); and 

 .lids-well's Account of Corsica). 



COKSO. The Corso is one of the principal 

 streets in Rome, and, like the chief streets in many 

 Italian cities (Florence, for example), derives its 

 name from the horse-races which enliven tlie even- 

 ings of the carnival. The. Corso, at Rome, is nearly 

 3500 paces in length, and is enclosed by high and 

 mostly splendid ediuces ; but its breadth is not pro- 

 portionate ; so that, in most parts, not above three 

 carriages can go abreast. The higher class of 

 citizens take the air in carriages, which form a very 

 long row. This evening promenade, which, in all 

 large Italian cities is splendid, and is imitated in 

 very small towns (although it may have only a few 

 coaches), attracts great numbers of spectators on 

 foot. The carnival is the gayest of the festivals ; 

 and, at this time, the Corso appeal's in its greatest 

 splendour, (.-ee Goethe's description of the Roman 

 carnival and the Corso.) 



CORTES. The cortes was the old assembly of 

 the estates in Spain and Portugal. In Spain the 

 cortes of Castile, which was composed of the no- 

 bility of the first rank, the superior ecclesiastics, the 

 knights of the orders of St James, Calatrava and 

 Alcantara, and the representatives of certain cities, 

 held the first rank during the time of the united Spa- 

 nish monarchy. In early times the king was very 

 dependent upon them ; indeed, they were invested 

 with tlie power of making war, and frequently exer- 

 cised it in opposition to tlie throne. In the original 

 constitution of Arragon, the form of government was 

 very remarkable, a supreme judge, called el justkia 

 selected from persons of the second class, presided 

 over the administration of the government. He de- 

 cided all questions and disputes between the king 

 and his subjects, and confined the royal power within 

 tlie constitutional limits. King Ferdinand of Arra- 

 gon and Isabella of Castile succeeded in rendering 

 themselves independent of the estates (las cortes) ; 

 and afterwards when the Castilians dared to resist an 

 unconstitutional tax, at a meeting convoked at To- 

 ledo, by Charles, in 1538, the king abolished this 

 assembly of the estates. After this, neither the 

 clergy nor nobility were assembled ; deputies from 

 eighteen cities were sometimes, however, convened, 

 but this only in case subsidies were to be granted. 

 Philip II. restrained the liberties of the Arragonese 

 in 1591. After the Spanish war of succession, 

 Philip V. deprived those provinces which had ad- 

 hered to the Austrian party of the privileges that 

 still remained to them. From that time, the cortes 

 were convened only to pay homage to the king, or 

 the prince of Asturias, or when a question respect- 

 ing the succession t / the throne was to be determin- 

 eT But when Napoleon attempted to extend his 

 influence over Spain (see the articles Ferdinand Vll. 



and Spain since 18^8), he convoked (June 15, 180) 

 a junto of the corles at l';:ycnitc. In their last ses- 

 sion (June 7, 1812), a new constitution was adopted 

 by th m. The SHli article regulated tlie powers nnd 

 unties of the cortes, uml provided that iliey should 

 consist of twenty-five archbishops, twenty-iiM- nobles, 

 and li-_' representatives of II. e j eoj le. > ;:polci.n 



afterwards attempted, by offering to restore the. cor- 



tes to their undent ini_ ortiince, to gain nvcr the 

 Spanish nobility, and through them, tne people, but 

 failed. (In regard to the new cortes in uiti ; nd 



Porfvra/, see those articles.) In 1828, don Miguel 

 av-i mhled the cortes of Portugal, in order to ! 

 knowledgcd by them, and to give his usurpation <:n 

 appearance of legitimacy. 



CORTEZ, FKRNANPO, the conqueror of Mexico, 

 was born in 1485, at Medelin, in Lstrcmadura, and 

 went to the West Indies in 15^4, win re Velasqiuz, 

 governor of Culm, gave him the command of fl 

 which he sent on a voyage of discovery. Cortcz 

 quitted San-Iago, November 18, 1518, with ten ves- 

 sels, 600 Spaniards, eighteen horses, and some field- 

 pieces. He landed on the gulf of Mexico. M In- 

 sight of the horses on which the Spaniards were 

 mounted ; the movable fortresses, in which they had 

 crossed the ocean ; U:e iron which covered them ; 

 the noise of the cannon ;--all these objects alarmed 

 tlie natives. Corte? enured the town of Mexico, 

 NovunlHT 18, 1510. Monlezuma, the sovereign of 

 the country, received him as Us master ; and the in- 

 habitants, it is said, thought him a god and a child 

 of the sun. He destroyed the idols in the temples, 

 to whom human sacrifices were offered, and placed in 

 their room images of the virgin Mary, and of tlie 

 saints. In tlie mean time, he made continual pro- 

 gress towards getting possession of the country, 

 forming alliances with several caciques, enemies to 

 Montezuma, and assuring himself of the others by 

 force or stratagem. On a general of Montemna 

 attacking the Spaniards, in obedience to a secret 

 order, Cortez repaired to the imperial palace, had 

 the commander and his officers burnt alive, and forc- 

 ed the emperor, while in chains, to acknowledge, 

 publicly, the sovereignty of Charles V. The un- 

 iiappy monarch added to this homage a present of a 

 large quantity of pure gold, and a number of pre- 

 cious stones. But the jealousy of Velasquez w;:> ^<> 

 much excited by the deeds of his representative, that 

 he sent an army against him. Cortez, reinforced by 

 fresh troops from r pain, advanced to meet it, gained 

 over the soldiers who bore arms against him. and, 

 with their assistance, again made war with the Mexi- 

 caiiSjWho had also revolted against their own emperor, 

 Montezuma, whom they accused of treachery. A fier 

 MonteiUma, who had hoped to restore tranquillity by 

 showing himself to the multitude, had fallen a vic- 

 tim to their rage, Guaiimozin, his nephew and son- 

 in-law, was acknowledged as emperor by the Mexi- 

 cans, and gained some advantage over the Spaniards. 

 He defended his crown during three months, but 

 could not withstand the Spanisli artillery. Cortez 

 again took possession of Mexico, and, in 1521, the 

 emperor, the empress, the ministers, and the whole 

 court, were in his power. The unhappy Guatimo- 

 zin was subjected to horrid cruelties to make bin dis- 

 close the place where his treasures were concealed, 

 and was afterwards executed with a great number of 

 his nobles. The court of Madrid now l>ecame jea- 

 lous of the power of Cortez, who had been, some 

 time before, appointed capta in-general and governor 

 of Mexico. Commissioners were sent to inspect and 

 control his measures ; his property was seized ; his 

 dependents were imprisoned, and he repaired to 

 Spain. He was received with much distinction, and 

 j returned to Mexico with an increase of titles, but a 



